U.S. patent number 5,429,257 [Application Number 07/978,370] was granted by the patent office on 1995-07-04 for closure with forearm engaging tabs for medication containers.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Brian Greenfield. Invention is credited to Brian Greenfield, Etienne Guay.
United States Patent |
5,429,257 |
Greenfield , et al. |
July 4, 1995 |
Closure with forearm engaging tabs for medication containers
Abstract
To assist a person having reduced manual dexterity in removing a
twist closure from a container, the closure comprises a first tab
extending upright from an upper surface of the closure to a height
suitable to engage the forearm near a central portion of the ulna,
and a second upright tab having the same height and being
positioned on the upper surface to be on an opposite side of the
forearm and longitudinally offset to allow the forearm to press
against the tabs and provide an opening torque. A forearm of the
person is positionable on the closure with the ulna of the forearm
over the upper surface and the first and second tabs extending
upright on opposite sides of the forearm, such that the closure can
be opened by putting weight using the forearm on the upper surface
with the container on a fixed surface and turning the forearm
within the first and second tabs. No forceful digital, manual or
carpal movements are required to remove the closure.
Inventors: |
Greenfield; Brian (Montreal,
Quebec, CA), Guay; Etienne (Montreal, CA) |
Assignee: |
Greenfield; Brian (Montreal,
CA)
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Family
ID: |
25526031 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/978,370 |
Filed: |
November 18, 1992 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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876438 |
Apr 30, 1992 |
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788510 |
Nov 6, 1991 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
215/295; 215/305;
81/3.15 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
51/243 (20130101); B67B 7/18 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
51/24 (20060101); B67B 7/18 (20060101); B67B
7/00 (20060101); B65D 043/26 () |
Field of
Search: |
;215/295,301,303,304,305,215 ;220/284,285,286
;81/3.09,3.15,3.44,3.45,3.55,3.56,3.57 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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38477 |
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Jun 1931 |
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FR |
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08220 |
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Aug 1985 |
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DE |
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158786 |
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Feb 1933 |
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CH |
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Primary Examiner: Shoap; Allan N.
Assistant Examiner: Stucker; Nova
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Darby & Darby
Parent Case Text
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.
876,438 filed Apr. 30, 1992, abandoned, which is a
continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 788,510 filed Nov. 6, 1991,
abandoned.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An apparatus to assist a person having reduced manual dexterity
in removing a twist closure from a container using a forearm,
comprising:
a base having means for connecting to the closure and having a
surface engagable by a portion of a user's forearm;
a first tab extending upright from the base to a height, said tab
having a first vertical side surface parallel to and spaced from a
line in the plane of the base passing generally through a middle
portion of said base; and
a second tab extending upright from the base to about said height,
said second tab having a second vertical side surface substantially
parallel to said line, and said first and second vertical side
surfaces being spaced from each other and extending upright from
opposite sides of said base relative to said line by at least a
minimum width equivalent to a width of a narrow portion of the
ulnar side of the user's forearm, said height of said first and
second tabs being sufficient to engage the narrow portion of the
ulnar side of the user's forearm and to transmit torque to said
base upon twisting of the forearm when located between the first
and second tabs, said first and second vertical side surfaces being
positioned so as to generally flatly engage opposite sides of the
narrow portion of the ulnar side of the forearm when placed
therebetween, whereby the forearm is positionable over the base and
between the first and second tabs such that the apparatus can be
used to twist open the twist closure by turning the forearm about
an axis of rotation of such twist closure as the forearm engages
both of the first and second tabs.
2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a third tab
extending upright from the base to said height and a fourth tab
extending upright from the base to said height, said third and
fourth tab having vertical side surfaces parallel to one another
and spaced apart so as to be on opposite sides of the forearm so as
to allow a closing torque to be transferred to said base by
applying force by the forearm to the third and fourth tabs, said
third and fourth tabs being positioned such that when the forearm
is placed between them there is no interference with said first and
second tabs.
3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said vertical side
surfaces of said first, second, third and fourth tabs are all
parallel, said first and third tab being joined to each other, and
said second and fourth tabs also being longitudinally joined.
4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said height is of at
least 3/8 of an inch.
5. A twist closure for a container, the closure having an upper
surface engagable by a narrow portion of an ulnar side of a user's
forearm and being provided with first and second upstanding tabs
spaced apart sufficient to receive the narrow portion of the ulnar
side of the user's forearm and extending to a height sufficient to
engage the portion of the user's forearm, said first and second
tabs having first and second vertical side surfaces respectively
generally parallel to one another and located for engaging opposite
sides of the narrow portion of the ulnar side of the forearm so as
to allow a torque to be transferred to the closure by applying
force with the forearm to the first and second tabs with said
vertical side surfaces generally flatly engaging opposite sides of
the narrow portion of the ulnar side of the forearm, whereby the
forearm is positionable on the apparatus such that the closure can
be twisted open by turning the forearm about an axis of rotation of
the closure as said forearm engages the first and second tabs.
6. Closure as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a third tab
extending upright from the base to height, and a fourth tab
extending upright from the base to height, said third and fourth
tabs having third and fourth vertical side surfaces respectively
parallel to one another and being spaced apart so as to be located
on opposite sides of the forearm another to allow a closing torque
to be transferred to said base by applying force by the forearm to
the third and fourth tabs, said third and fourth tabs being
positioned such that when forearm is placed between them there is
no interference with said first and second tabs.
7. Closure as claimed in claim 6, wherein said side surfaces of
said first, second, third and fourth tabs are all parallel, said
first and third tab being joined to each other, and said second and
fourth tabs also being joined to each other.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a closure with forearm engaging
tabs for containers. The present invention relates further to an
apparatus to assist a person having reduced manual dexterity, such
as an arthritic patient, in removing a closure from a container,
such as a medication bottle. The apparatus is to be attached to or
made integral with the closure of the container.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Arthritic patients commonly have difficulties in removing closures
from medication containers since the operation of removing the
closures from medication containers requires a manual dexterity
which is beyond the ability of arthritic patients who no longer
have full use of their hands. It has been observed that arthritic
patients have more control over the movement of the arm and forearm
than the movement of the wrist and fingers.
It is known to provide cap removers for medication containers, as
is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,760,763, 4,770,069 and 3,885,478.
In the case of U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,763, a device is disclosed for
gripping the cap of a child resistant medication container which
facilitates removal of the cap by an arthritic patient by reducing
the amount of gripping action that needs to be carried out by the
hand and provides a device which will enable opening a cap using
the palm of one's hand. U.S. Pat. No. 4,770,069 discloses a
hand-held cap opener for child resistant containers of the kind
which are to be pried off, in which the cap opener fits into the
palm of the hand and prevents the user from having to use delicate
finger action to remove the cap. U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,512 discloses
a two-piece, press-twist, child resistant closure which is formed
with upwardly extending lugs to assist in holding the outer closure
against rotation while being manually pressed and turned using the
bottle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,235 describes a closure with upwardly
extending tabs to enable manual application of torque to the
closure without gripping the side wall thereof.
In the prior art devices, use of the wrist or fingers is required
in order to remove the closure. As mentioned above, for arthritic
patients it can be impossible to comfortably use the wrist or
finger joints to carry out a controlled movement, whereas the use
of the forearm and arm can be carried out with greater ease.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a
closure with forearm engaging tabs for medication containers which
does not require the use of forceful manipulation by the wrist or
finger joints.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, there is provided an apparatus to
assist a person having reduced manual dexterity in removing a
closure from a container using a forearm, comprising a base having
means for connecting to the closure, a first tab extending upright
from the base to a height equivalent to a central portion of an
ulnar bone of the forearm, and a second upright tab parallel to the
first tab and extending upright from the base to the central
portion height, and located on an opposite side of the forearm and
spaced longitudinally with respect to the first tab to allow a
torque to be transferred to the base by applying force with the
forearm to the first and second tabs. The forearm of the person is
positionable on the apparatus with the ulnar bone of the forearm
over the base and the first and second tabs extending upright on
opposite sides of the forearm, such that the apparatus can be used
to twist open the closure by placing weight with the forearm on the
base with the container supported on a fixed surface and turning
the forearm within the first and second tabs.
The invention also provides a closure for a container, the closure
having an upper surface provided with a first upstanding tab
extending to a height with respect to the upper surface equivalent
to a central portion of an ulnar bone of the forearm, a second
upstanding tab extending upright from the upper surface to the
central portion height, and being parallel to the first tab and
located on an opposite side of the forearm and spaced
longitudinally with respect to the first tab to allow a torque to
be transferred to the closure by applying force by the forearm to
the first and second tabs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be better understood by way of the following
detailed description of a preferred embodiment with reference to
the appended drawings in which:
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the preferred embodiment
attached to a pill bottle;
FIG. 2 shows a side view of the preferred embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a front view showing the forearm in cross-section of the
preferred embodiment; and
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment in which
the base is hingedly placed on top of the cap, and the tabs are
made much larger.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the closure (15) which is of the
push-and-turn type is provided with two upstanding tabs (16) and
(18), such that when the forearm (11) is placed on base (12)
between the tabs (16) and (18), the latter are engaged in order to
turn the closure or cap (15) anticlockwise (for removal). The tabs
(16) and (18) have parallel surfaces and are spaced apart in width
W which corresponds to the width of the lower part of the forearm
(11), and a lengthwise distance between tabs (16) and (18) is
chosen to be as long as possible while remaining on base (12) of
cap (15). The height H of the tabs as shown in FIG. 3 is chosen to
correspond to an average middle of the ulnar bone (20) in order
that as forearm (11) is twisted the force transmitted by the ulnar
bone (20) does not cause the forearm (11) to rise over tabs (16)
and (18). It has been found that for smaller boned patients, as is
common with more elderly female patients, the minimum height of
tabs (16) and (18) is 3/8" (roughly 10 mm). The same tests have
shown that a suitable width is 11/4" (32 mm), and a suitable
lengthwise distance between tabs (16) and (18) is also 11/4" (32
mm). The ulnar bone (20) extends from the wrist to the elbow, and
the user may use any portion of the forearm that feels
comfortable.
Container (17) is to be placed on a surface which is preferably at
waist height with respect to the arthritic patient, and the forearm
(11) is placed on base (12) with the tabs protruding upwardly on
each side of the forearm to a height approaching or near the center
of the ulnar bone (20) with the radial bone (19) positioned above
the ulnar (20) (a relaxed position), and while some weight is
applied to base (12), usually coming from the shoulder and
transferred through the elbow, a small turning force is applied to
loosen cap (15) from container (17). Once the cap (15) is loose,
additional turning of cap (15), if required, can be carried out
using a minimum of force and without use of the fingers or hands by
pushing against the tabs with the forearm to cause the cap (15) to
turn. In this preferred way, the container (17) does not need to be
held using the other hand in order to prevent it from slipping or
turning since most counter top surfaces provide sufficient friction
on the base of container (17) when a little bit of weight is
applied to base (12) by forearm (11). If extra friction is
required, then the container (17) can be placed on a cloth or
rubber surface which will offer a better frictional contact. The
placing of weight by forearm (11) and in particular by ulnar bone
(20) does not cause discomfort to the patient and more importantly
does not require the use of the wrist joint or finger joints.
Complementary tabs (16') and (18') can be used to apply torque
using the forearm in an opposite direction, i.e. to close cap
(15).
As can be understood, it would be possible to join tabs (16) or
(18) to tabs (18') or (16') respectively. It is also possible to
angularly shift tabs (16') and (18') with respect to tabs (16) and
(18) as long as the pair of tabs (16) (18) and (16') (18') engage
forearm (11) in such a way that turning the forearm (11) causes the
ulnar bone (20) to turn base (12) and thus cap (15) in the desired
direction.
Although in the preferred embodiment the base (12) is provided
integrally with cap (15), it is of course possible to make an
attachment apparatus in which base (12) is provided separate from
cap (15) and merely attaches to an ordinary cap (15). Snaps,
adhesive strips or a friction fit over the cap (15) are some of the
possible ways to connect the base (12) to the cap (15). The twist
cap or closure (15) can be an ordinary screw cap, a push-and-turn
one piece cap in which the base is usually locked until depressed,
or a two-piece push-and-turn closure in which the outer base slips
until depressed when it will engage an inner screw cap.
In the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 4, tabs (16) and (18)
as well as tabs (16') and (18') are connected to a base (12) which
is hingedly connected to cap (15) by articulation hinge (27). When
base (12) is folded down into the storage position (not shown), it
does so with rounded tabs (16) (16') (18) and (18') "hugging"
bottle (17). The tabs in the alternative embodiment are much
larger, and are curved to conform to the contour of the forearm
(11). The articulated base (12) allows the larger tabs to be
lowered in order to reduce the storage volume of the container (17)
provided with the tabs (16) and (18). The larger curved tab
arrangement of FIG. 4 works not only with the ulnar side of the
forearm but also with the fleshy, inside surface of the
forearm.
It is to be understood that the above description of the preferred
embodiment is not intended to limit the scope of the present
invention as defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *